Healthy Eating: Cutting Unhealthy Fats From Your Diet

Introduction

Foods like cheese, butter, sausage,
and desserts may taste good to you, but they
can have a lot of
saturated fat and cholesterol. Eating too much of
these unhealthy fats could lead to
high cholesterol and heart disease.

Start with small changes first. Use
heart-healthy olive or canola oil instead of butter for cooking. Drink fat-free
or low-fat milk instead of 2% milk or whole milk.
Pick leaner cuts of meat.

Use cooking methods with little or no
fat, such as broiling, steaming, or grilling. Use cooking spray instead of oil.
If you use oil, use a monounsaturated oil, such as canola or olive
oil.

Trim fat from meats before you cook them. Drain off fat after
you brown the meat or while you are roasting it.

Chill soups and
stews after you cook them so that you can skim off the fat after it gets
hard.

To get more omega-3 fatty acids, have fish twice a week. Add
ground flaxseed to cereal, soups, and smoothies. Sprinkle walnuts on salads.

When you bake muffins or breads, replace part of the fat
ingredient (oil, butter, margarine) with applesauce, or use canola oil instead
of butter or shortening.

Read
food labels on canned, bottled, or packaged foods. Choose those with little
saturated fat and no trans fat.

Restaurant meals

If you
eat out often, it may be hard to avoid unhealthy fats. Try these tips:

Order foods that are broiled or poached rather
than fried or breaded. Restaurants often use trans fats (hydrogenated oils) for
frying foods.

Cut back on the amount of butter or margarine that
you use on bread. Use small amounts of olive oil instead.

Order
sauces, gravies, and salad dressings on the side, and use only a little.

When you order pasta, choose tomato sauce rather than cream sauce.

Ask for salsa with a baked potato instead of sour cream, butter,
cheese, or bacon.

Don't upgrade your meal to a larger size.

Watch portion sizes. Share an entree, or take part of your food
home to eat as another meal. Share appetizers and desserts.

Fat-free foods

Sometimes a fat-free food isn't the best choice. Fat-free cookies,
candies, chips, and frozen treats can still be high in sugar and calories. Some
fat-free foods have more calories than regular ones. Eat fat-free foods in
moderation, as you would other foods.

This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use.
How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.